Mumbai: Depressed over illness, man strangles his children in Ghatkopar

(From left) Chandrakant Mohite and his children Pratik and Gauravi

Worried over his children's future if he were to die, a Ghatkopar man suffering from a chronic illness strangled his two children, aged 11 and 7, on Wednesday. Chandrakant Mohite, 37, an app-based cab driver has been ill for the past two years. On Tuesday night, Mohite called his younger brother, who lives with him, and said that he was tired of his disease and wanted to end the misery. He left home in his car while his brother alerted the police control room after Mohite stopped responding to calls.

Mohite had had a fight with his wife Kavita over his persistent disease before he had left from home. "He was not taking his medicines regularly and the disease would keep relapsing. Kavita and he used to regularly fight over his health," said a police source. The police traced his car through the GPS and found it to be moving towards Pune. The police in Pune were alerted and they, too, started monitoring his movements.

Mohite was stopped at the toll plaza at 3.15am. The cops apprehended him and confirmed his identity. "He very coldly told us he was Chandrakant Mohite. When we inquired about his kids, he only said 'inside the dicky'. We found both children, Gauravi, 11, and Pratik, 7, in an unresponsive state in the boot of the car. They were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital," said Dattatray Darade, Raigad police station in-charge.

Mohite told cops he was tired of his ailment and the constant fights with his wife. He believed that if he died, his kids would suffer. "He took the children to Shirwal. His son was asleep while the daughter was awake. He first strangled her and then his son and put both bodies in the car boot," said UR Hajare, Shirwal police station in-charge. Mohite was booked for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

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